: Suggests the use of pictures, diagrams, and timetables to clarify complex temporal boundaries. Accessing the Text
Visual aids are crucial for understanding English time concepts. Teaching Tenses popularized distinct styles of timeline diagrams to visually contrast tenses.
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later. teaching tenses rosemary aitken pdf
Positioned as the background setting for a specific moment in the past, frequently contrasted against an interrupting Past Simple action.
Instead of forcing students to memorize conjugation tables, Aitken advocates for teaching tenses through context. Her methodology ensures that learners do not just understand how to form a tense grammatically, but when and why to use it to communicate effectively. Core Structure of a Tense Lesson Plan : Suggests the use of pictures, diagrams, and
To ensure students truly grasp the meaning of a tense, Aitken relies heavily on Concept Check Questions. Instead of asking a vague question like "Do you understand?" , teachers learn to ask precise, binary questions. "I had already eaten when John arrived." CCQ 1: "Did I eat?" (Yes) CCQ 2: "Did John arrive?" (Yes) CCQ 3: "Which action happened first?" (Eating) Structuring a Lesson Using Aitken's Framework
Aitken introduces a visual system for drawing timelines on whiteboards that is unmatched in its clarity. Students see the difference between "I worked" (a closed block in the past) and "I have worked" (a line extending to the present) instantly. This public link is valid for 7 days
: How the tense is physically constructed (e.g., spelling rules, phonetics, and contractions). Meaning/Function
Some best practices for teaching tenses include:
Q: What is the best way to teach tenses to beginners? A: The best way to teach tenses to beginners is to start with the present simple and present continuous tenses, and to use visual aids and real-life examples to illustrate the concepts.
Beyond theoretical breakdowns, Teaching Tenses serves as a practical handbook filled with actionable classroom activities.